Time-switch for photographic purposes



A. BCHI. TIME SWITCH FOR PHOTOGRAPHl PURPOSES.

n APPLxcATloN' FILED DEc.2`9,"19|9. 1,390,336. 3 Pandsept 13,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. BCHI.

TIME SWITCH FOR PHOTOGRAPHIE PURPOSES.

MPLICATIOH FILED DEC.29|19,19.

O Patentedsept. 13,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT B'O'HI, OF KLOSTERS, SWITZERLAND.

TIME-SWITCH FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PURPOSES.

Application filed December 29, 1919. Serial No. 348,108.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT BCHI, a citizen of the Republic of Switzerland, residing at Klosters, in the Canton of Graubnden, Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Switches for Photographic Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object a time switch for photographic purposes, the said time switch being adapted to be mounted at the inside of the hinged top part or cover of a photographic printing box and comprising a clockwork and other mechanism in combination with an electric Contact making device which, when put in action, causes one or more electric lamps, also fitted within the printing box, to be lighted. The mechanism for setting the clockwork and the mechanism actuated thereby is so constructed and arranged that, by means of a winding-up spindle and a slide which is connected with a pointer mounted outside the cover of the box, it actuates and controls the contact making device. Means are furthermore provided for the adjustment of the said slide in such a manner that the slide acts as a stopper for the winding-up spindle and thus limits the movement of the clockwork and dependent mechanism.

In this way'and if a number of photographic copies are to be taken, the operator is enabled to precisely time the exposure to the electric light of the photographic paper or post-cards and no matter how many copies are taken, they will exactly and in every respect correspond with each other.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I refer to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 show a cross-section and a plan, respectively, of the top part or cover of a printing box of the known type, Ithe latter not being illustrated as it is not 1ntended to form part of this invention;

Fig. 3 shows an elevation, on a larger scale, of the clockwork and dependent mechanism, all mounted on the inside of the hinged top part of the printing box;

Fig. 4 shows a side elevation, partly 1n section, of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 shows a section through line A-B, Fig. 3.

Like parts are designated by like references throughout the several views and the specification.

The usual electric fittings and wire connections are provided and the latter connected with any suitable electric source of supf ply` (not shown).

he top part ofthe printing box consists of two portions, one portion la, lc being attached to or made integral with the box and the other portion 1b being hinged at 22 to the portion la so that the former may be easily opened and shut. i

The time switch, comprising a clockwork, mechanism for putting the said switch in action, and an electric contact making 4device, is mounted on the inside of the hinged portion 1b of the top part of the printing Referring to the drawings, 23 is a metal base plate secured to the cover portion 1b which plate, togethen with another and smaller plate 24 attached to the first plate by means of bolts or studs 23a,.serves as a housing for the clockwork provided with the usual spring and casing 25 containing the same. The plate 23 is slotted at 26 in order to receive a pin 27 of which one end carries an angle-shaped slide 28 while the other end extends through a slot 29 in the portion lb of the box cover and terminates in a knob 30. The latter has a pointer 3l formed thereon and the outside of the part lb is fitted with a scale 32, Fig. 2, for the purpose hereinafter mentioned. On the plate 23, and mounted in brackets '33 and 34 and one of the bolts or studs 23a respectively, are two parallel and fixed rods 3 5 and 36 which serve asguides for two slidable plates 37 and 38,'one arranged behind the other and at a certain distance.

Between these two rods and parallel to them is the slidable operating spindle 39 the outer end thereof extending through the bracket 33 and being guided thereby, and the inner end being screwed or otherwise secured to the.plate 38. A spring 40 fitted over this end of the spindle 39 and mounted between the said two plates tends to keep the latter apart, that is, in lthe position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The plate 37 has attached to it two arms'4l` linking up with the corresponding end of a fiexible steel band 42 which nearly reaches around the casing 25 containing the clockwork spring. The other end'of this band is attached to the casing at 43 and a ratchet and pawl device 44, as is usual in such clockworks, is provided. In order, therefore, to

spring-influenced two-armed wind up the clockwork it is mercly necessary to pull on the spindle 55) whereby the plate 3S is brought up against the platc :t7 which is then caused to slide along the rods 35 and S6. At the same time the arms 4l exert a pull on the tiexible band 42 which thus puts the clockwork spring in tension.

The mechanism actuated by the windingup device and the clockwork and adapted, in turn, to actuate the electric contact making device, consists of and comprises a member 45 which is pivoted at 46 to the plate 3S and by Ineans of its spring 45 is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 3. lts one. arm in such position abuts against the edge of the plate 37 and the other and pointed arm is adapted to act on a hook-shaped member 47 also pivoted at 4G in such a manner that this hook-shaped member, which is normally engaging the tlange 48 of a springcontrolled sleeve 49 slidably arranged on the rod 36, is made to disengage from the said flange when the two-armed member 45 by the forward movement of the plate 38 is swung in the direction of the arrow 50, Fi 3.

rovision is furthermore made of a member 5l in the shape of a bell-crank lever pivoted at 52 to the base plate 23 and held in the position shown by a spring 53. The lower arm of this lever is formed into a hook which, like the hook 47, is adapted to engage the lflange 48 of the sleeve 49, the engagement of the hook of the bell-crank lever however taking place after a sliding movement of the said sleeve and after the release of the hook 47. The other arm of the bellcrank lever is fashioned into a blade' 54 leaning against a stud 55 acting as a stopper and fixed in the plate 23. Thus, the hook of the bell-crank lever 51 is engaging the flanged sleeve 49 at that moment when the two-armed member 45, through the continued movement outward of the actuating spindle 89 and consequently the plate 3S and also the consequent release of the member 47 from its engagement with the flanged sleeve, is pressing against the aforesaid blade The engagement of the hook of the bellcrank lever lasts until the spindle B9 is released by the operator and till the plate 37, by the action of ,the spring 4t), is returned to its normal position, that is, the position of inaction, Figs. 3 and 4, during which movement the two-armed member 45 moves in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 50.

The electric contact making mechanism comprises a tongue-shaped member 56 which is pivotally mounted on the base plate Q3, at 57, and so connected with a spring-controlled contact making arm 58 pivoted at 59 that the fiange 48 of the sleeve 49 is adapted to slip by the tongue of the member 50 in an outward direction but presses against and acts on this tongue when the slccvc is caused to l'ctul'n to its position of inactivity. '.l`hc pressure of thc tlange 4h against thc said tongue causes the pivotcd contact arm to swing toward and make contact with a contact piece (lt) titted in a convenient position on the base plate 23 and provided with thc` usual wire connections for the printing box.

ln order to bring the action of the clockwork to a sudden stop, the casing 25 containing the clockwork spring is litted with an arm (3l which. when the clockwork has nearly run out, is stopped by the extension (32 of a lever 6'2 pivotally mounted on a stud 62", the latter being tixcd to the base plate 23. This extension is thereby made to rest on an adjustable screw mounted in another stud (S3 also lixed in the plate 23 and, the lever 62 being under the control of a spring conveniently arranged at G4, and the main arm of the lever 62 leaning or nearly leaning against a pin situated at (l5. The movement of this lever is strictly limited for purposes of adjustment. The contact arm 58 is also under the control of a spring (3G and its movement is likewise limited by the pin at 65.

lilith a view of ventilating the interior of the printing box, the main wheel of the clockwork` by means of a suitably arranged train of intermediate wheels. is brought into gearing with a spindle 67 journaled in the plate 24 and a bracket G8 secured thereto, the said spindle 67 carrying a thin metal blade or propeller GS) adapted to rotate at great speed when, subsequent to the winding up of the clockwork, the winding-up spindle BS) is released. The warm air is thereby made to depart through the openings ld provided at the rear portion of the box l and the latter kept properly ventilated.

The time switch described operates as follows: The pointer pin 27 with the angleshaped slide is slid along the slot 2G and, the slide 28 acting as a stop for the plate 37 and the actuating spindle 39, the pin Q7 is secured in such a position on the scale plate 32 that the pointer corresponds with the distance to which the plate 37 has to be pulled by the spindle 39, that is to say, with the amount of winding up of the clockwork necessary for any particular work. On pulling the actuating spindle the plate 38 attached thereto is moved toward the plate 37 against the action of the spring 40; at the same time the. flange 48 of the sleeve 49 is engaged and the latter carried along the rod 36 by the hook-shaped member 47 until the said flange has passed the tongue of the member 56. The movement of the plate 38 toward the plate 37 causes the longer arm of the spring-controlled two-armed member 45 abutting against the plate 37 to be pressed outwardly, the said member thus swinging about its pivot 46 in the direction of the arrow 50. Now, the continued pull on the spindle 39 causes the longer arm of the member 45 to press against the blade 54 of the bell-crank lever 52 and against the action of the spring 53, and the turning movement of the member 45 has also the effect of causing the shorter and pointed arm to press against the hook-shaped member 4T and thereby release it from its engagement with the flange of the sleeve 49. Immediately before the disengagement of the hook 47 from the said flange the latter is gripped by the hook of the bell-crank lever 52 and the plate 38 having now reached the plate 37 ,this second plate is made to slide along the rods 35 and 36, until stopped by the slide 28 attached to the pointer pin 27.

During the movement described, the flexible steel band 42 connected to the plate 37 by means of the arms 41 causes the desired amount of winding up of the clockwork. The spindle 39 is thereafter suddenly released and the clockwork consequently set off. The return of the spindle to its position of rest and the consequent return of the plate 38 and the spring-controlled member 45 into the position shown in Fig. 3 allows the spring 53 to pull back the hook of the bell-crank lever 52 which is thus released from engagement with the spring-controlled lianged sleeve 49. This sleeve falls thus immediately back and its flange 48, pressing against the tongue of the member 56, causes the Contact arm 58 to make contact with the electric contact piece 60 until the whole mechanism has come to rest.

The release of the electric switch thus takes place when the flange 48 has swung the tongue 56 and with it the contact arm 58 far enough to allow the said flange to pass the tongue, the spring 66 then pulling the arm 58 back and out of contact with the contact piece 60.

The set-screw mounted at 63 has for its purpose to limit the movement of the lever 62, that is to say, the lat-ter may or should have a little play between the arm 62 and the pin 65 on .the one hand and between the arm 62d and the set-screw on the other hand, the spring 64 thus softening the shock when the arm 61 is brought to bear against the arm 62a.

The duration of the electric contact and light corresponds therefore with the duration of the movement of the clockwork which movement itself is controlled by the adjustable actuating spindle and exact timing of these movements is thus made possible so that each photographic copy tobe taken is exposed to the electric light for a` precisely corresponding period.

Having now .fully described my said invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination, in the herein-described time switch for use with photographic printing boxes, of a clockwork and an electric contact making device mounted at the inside of the cover of the said box, means for winding up the clockwork, and means to actuate the said Contact making device when the winding up mechanism is released, the said winding up mechanism comprising a slidable actuating spindle, a plate secured to one end of the spindle and having integral downwardly proJecting arms, a second plate fitted over the spindle and at a certain distance from the first plate, a spring mounted between thetwo plates and tending to keep the same apart, means to guide and support the said spindle and the plates, and a flexible steel band of which one end is attached to the .said arms and the other end fixed to the clockwork casing for winding up the clockwork-spring, all as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a time switch of the type described, the combination.l of a clockwork, means to wind up the clockwork comprising a slidable actuating spindle, a plate secured to one end of the spindle and having integral downwardly projecting arms, a second plate fitted over the spindle and at a certain distance from the first plate, a spring mounted between the two plates and tending to keep the same apart, means to guide and support the spindle and the plates, and a flexible steel band connecting with the said arms on the one hand and with the clockwork casing for winding up the clockwork-spring on the other hand; and an electric contact making device adapted to be operated when the winding up mechanism is released, the said contact making device comprising a spring controlled `sleeve slidably mounted below the first of the aforesaid plates, a spring-controlled catch pivoted to the same plate and adapted to engage the said sleeve, means to engage -the said first plate when raised through the winding up action and release the catch, a spring-influenced contact making arm pivotally mounted near the first plate and having an extension, and a tongueshaped member pivoted to the said extension and adapted with the contact making arm to be actuated when. the said catch is released, all. substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. n

ALBERT BUCH.

lVitneasses t E. ALDER, M. FRArsE. 

